Grown Up Digital Is An Awful Book

Grown Up Digital : How the Net Generation is Changing YOUR World HC by Don Tapscott is a book that promises to teach the reader about how the current generation is changing your world with technology. That generation used to be called Generation Y, now I guess it is referred to as Millennials or Net Generation (gag). The author had no sense of objectivity with his subject. Instead of learning the upside and downside to growing up in a world constantly plugged into digital technology, the author treated his subject as faultless demi-gods

The book reads like a collection of poorly written and outdated Wired articles thrown in a blender and repeated over and over. The author substitutes using words such Twitter, Facebook, Blackberry, IM and a host of other “buzz words” for real analysis. In one chapter, he glosses over the ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) findings of a study he cited with an example on how wonderful his daughter performs outside the laboratory.

The only good part of the book was when the author was critical of how Millennials seem not to care about their online privacy. He cited a study that employers do social network searching before hiring 25% of all jobs in the UK. That number is only going to get higher.

Maybe as a member of Generation X, I am biased. When I read the words of a Baby Boomer drooling with excitement over a generation that grew up understanding the Internet – from birth – I just roll my eyes. For every brilliant technological Millennial, there are hundreds of digital zombies. This book is a love story between a Baby Boomer parent and his offspring. If you are looking for a real research book that examines the effects of growing up in a wired society, this isn’t it.

Comments

I suspect that this book was targeted at the Baby Boomer group and seems to be well received by them on Amazon but there are similar reviews to yours as well. Do you usually post your reviews there as well?

I once bought a flashlight that I hated so much, I wrote a trash review over on AMAZON. The product has since been removed.

Since I have my own web sites, I have no interest in giving away content that I can derive no benefit from. If someone reads a review here and decides to purchase, I get a 4-6% commission. If that same review appears on AMAZON and influences purchase, I get nothing.

Plus it is kind of cool when the author of the book you’ve just reviewed stops by and comments your own blog.

You may not get the commission on that purchase since the person is already on Amazon trying to decide whether to buy but that person could enjoy your review and start reading your blog which could result in future purchases and commissions. Amazon’s “reach” is pretty impressive and the small time time investment in review posting could have a significant impact on yours. Just a suggestion

Comment Policy: Your words are your own, so be nice and helpful if you can. Limit the amount of links submitted in your comment. Do not respond here to other posts where the comments have been closed. Trust me, they have been closed for a reason.